


Stopping The Merge

by lovelygaypoison



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hizzie - Freeform, Hope Mikaelson & Penelope Park Friendship, LGBT, Landon Kirby Bashing, Light Angst, Parent Alaric Saltzman, Penelope Park & Lizzie Saltzman Friendship, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Vampire Caroline Forbes, posie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-25
Packaged: 2021-03-27 09:41:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 10,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30120840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelygaypoison/pseuds/lovelygaypoison
Summary: Penelope returns after leaving for Belgium, unable to live without Josie, who realizes she can't live without Penelope either and they become girlfriends again. Along with Hope, Lizzie, Caroline and Alaric, they must find a way to stop the merge.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Lizzie Saltzman, Josie Saltzman & Lizzie Saltzman, Penelope Park/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31





	1. The Return of Penelope Park

Penelope Park breathes deeply to calm herself before she knocks on Alaric's office door. She knows the man probably in not too pleased with her for breaking his daughter's heart. Caroline found Penelope at the witch's school. The raven haired girl was miserable without Josie, having broken up with her to help her grow stronger so she would survive the merge.

Caroline, knowing her daughter was miserable as well, convinced the witch to travel back to Mystic Falls with her. So here Penelope is, standing outside her old headmaster's office, about to beg him to let her come back to the school that she left, breaking his daughter's heart in the process. She takes one more deep breathe before knocking on the oak door.

"Come in," Alaric calls.

"Hello, Dr. Saltzman," Penelope says, entering the office.

"Penelope. My wife called and told me you would be arriving at the school," Alaric replies.

"Yes. I... I love your daughter, sir. So much. I only broke up with her so she would be stronger and stand a chance at surviving the merge," Penelope explains.

"I know that, and Josie soon will too. Caroline and I have decided to tell her and Lizzie about the merge so they can help us stop it. Your old room is still available, so you will sleep there. I have enrolled you in all your old classes as well. Go get settled in. Caroline and I plan to talk to the twins tonight. You can talk to Josie afterwards, as I'm sure once she understands why you did what you did she'll want to see you," Alaric instructs.

"Okay. Thank you sir," Penelope says, exiting his office.

She heads to her old room and begins to put her clothes away when there's a knock at the door.

"Hey there Peez. Look who's back," MG smirks at his old friend.

"MG! Hey man. Yeah, I'm back. For good this time," Penelope smiles at the vampire.

"Good, good. I'll let you get settled in. See ya later, " MG says, bidding the witch goodbye.

"Bye MG," Penelope replies.

She continues to put her stuff back in order. Once she has finished, she attempts to listen to music to relax, but she can't focus on it. All she can think about is Josie, whom she hopes will soon be in her arms once more.

******

Penelope paces the hallway in front of the twin's room. Hope, who she has learned is dating Lizzie, sits against the wall.

"Park, would you stop pacing?" Hope sighs.

"Sorry. Just nervous," Penelope replies, sitting down beside Hope.

"Look, Penelope. I've never liked you much. You broke Josie's heart. But our girl's lives are at risk, so we need to work together to find a way to start this dam merge so we don't loose them. So I say we try to get along the at very least, maybe even become friends," Hope proposes.

"Sounds good. I'll help find a way to stop it even if Josie doesn't want me back. I will always love her," Penelope agrees.

"She's dated some people since you left, but she always broke it off with them. She always told me that they just weren't you. She'll take you back once she understands why you did what you did," Hope explains.

"I hope so, Mikaelson. I really do," Penelope sighs.

The pair sit in silence, waiting. Soon, the door to the twins' room creeps open and Alaric, Caroline, and Lizzie come out. Hope jumps to her feet at the sight of her girlfriend's red eyes, which signify that she has been crying. The auburn haired girl opens her arms and Lizzie rushes into them, resting her head on Hope's shoulder.

"I don't want to die, Hopey, but I don't want Josie to die either," Lizzie murmurs against her girlfriend's chest.

"We're going to find a way to stop it, baby. We won't stop looking until we do," Hope promises, kissing the blonde's head.

"Penelope," Caroline says, causing the witch to look up at the women.

"Yes?" Penelope asks, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt.

"She's asking for you," Caroline informs the witch.

Penelope stands up nervously. Lizzie, who is still wrapped in Hope's arms, looks over at the witch.

"Go talk to her, Satan. I don't know what she sees in you, but she's been miserable without you. So go talk to her and make things right. But if you hurt her again, I'll kill you," Lizzie says casually.

"Noted," Penelope says, smiling slightly.

She never thought Lizzie Saltzman, who has hated her since day one, would be the one to encourage her to go talk to Josie. Penelope takes a deep breathe, and enters the twin's room, shutting the door behind her.


	2. Posie Reunites

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: Brief panic attack

Josie fiddles with the necklace around her neck. The one Penelope gave her for their six month anniversary. It has a thin gold chain with a small heart pendant with Josie's initials on it. She could never bring herself to throw it out after their breakup.

"Hey Jojo," Josie hears.

She turns and sees Penelope standing there, dressed in a white shirt with a decorative ribbon around the neck and a black skirt. Josie's heart pounds. She's missed the girl so much, despite having dated other people after their breakup. They just weren't Penelope, her one true love.

"Hi Penny," Josie replies.

"I... I'm sorry I left. I'm sorry I broke your heart. I was just trying to protect you. I'm so sorry, Josie. I'm back now, for good, and I promise I'm never going anywhere without you ever again. If you'll have me as your girlfriend again, that is," Penelope apologizes.

As much as Josie wants to stay mad at the Park girl, she cannot. She understands now why Penelope did what she did. It was to protect her and make her stronger so she stands a chance when the merge happens, and for that, she loves Penelope Park even more.

"I forgive you, Pen. I understand why you did it, baby. I have a confession though. I dated other people while you were gone," Josie says.

"I know, and I'm not mad. While I can't stand the thought of someone else kissing you, touching you, we weren't a couple. But I'd like to be one now. Please be my girlfriend again, Jojo. I'll be there to help you find a way to stop the merge. I'll never leave you again. I'll be by your side for as long as you'll have me. Please baby. I need you in my life again," Penelope begs the brunette.

Josie launches herself across the room and into Penelope's arms, kissing her passionately. Penelope catches her easily and kisses her back, smiling against her warm lips. They break apart after a while, their foreheads resting against each other's.

"Is that a yes?" Penelope asks.

"Yes," Josie replies.

The pair grin at each other happily. Josie feels like the weight she has been carrying on her shoulders since Penelope left for Belgium is gone. She has the raven haired witch back in her life and together along with Hope, Lizzie, and her parents, they will find a way to stop the merge.

"Penelope?" Josie asks softly.

"Yes, baby?" Penelope responds.

"Lizzie's staying with Hope tonight. Will you please stay with me and hold me? I'm scared, Penny. I don't want to die," Josie begs.

"Of course. And I'm not going to let you die. We will figure out a way to stop it. I promise," Penelope assures the brunette.

"I still have a pair of your pajamas and your toothbrush is in the bathroom. I couldn't stand to throw them away," Josie admits.

"That's adorable. Now let's get changed and brush our teeth. I've missed your cuddles," Penelope smiles.

The pair change into their pajamas and brush their teeth. Josie can't help but smile as Penelope lays down, lifting to covers up for Josie. Josie curls up beside her love, and the witch takes her into her arms, kissing her head.

"I love you, Jojo," the raven haired girl whispers.

"I love you, too, Penny," Josie smiles, resting her head on Penelope's chest.

Penelope watches, her eyes full of love, as Josie drifts off to sleep, safe and sound in her arms at last.

******

Meanwhile, in Hope's room, Hope is desperately trying to calm Lizzie, who is on the verge of a meltdown.

"Lizzie, you need to breathe. Just breathe for me, baby," Hope says, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I don't want to die. I don't want Josie to die. What are we going to do, Hopey?" Lizzie asks, pacing around Hope's room.

"I know, baby. I don't want you or Josie to die either. We will figure something out. Come here, Lizzie. Come listen to my heartbeat," Hope says, laying down on her bed and opening her arms.

The tribrid knows listening to her heartbeat always calms Lizzie down. Lizzie lays down next to hope, resting her head on her girlfriend's chest. She sighs as she focuses on her heartbeat. Hope wraps her arms around her girl, holding her close.

"I got you. I got you, Lizzie baby," Hope promises, kissing her head.

"Love you, Hopey," Lizzie murmurs sleepily.

"I love you too, Lizzie. Sleep. You're exhausted," Hope urges.

Lizzie nods and closes her eyes, allowing herself to drift off into unconsciousness. Hope looks down at her lovingly. She pulls a blanket over the girl.

"I promise we will find a way around it, Lizzie," Hope whispers, allowing herself to drift off as well.

Tomorrow they will start looking for a solution, but for tonight, they will sleep soundly in each other's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! Please leave kudos!


	3. Morning Meeting and a Plan

Josie's alarm goes off and she reaches blindly for it, hitting the snooze bar. She smiles as Penelope whines adorably, snuggling further into Josie's chest.

"Penny, baby. We have to get up. My dad wants everyone in his office by 7," Josie says softly, kissing the raven haired girl's head.

"No," Penelope pouts. 

"Penelope," Josie warns.

"No. Wanna cuddle with you," Penelope replies.

"Penelope Park, get your butt up this instant or no kisses for you for the rest of the day," Josie threatens. 

That gets Penelope right up and rushing to the shower, causing Josie to laugh.

"Not funny. You know I need kisses to function," comes Penelope's muffled reply.

Josie smiles to herself, so happy that Penelope is back in her life, and grabs her clothes for the day: a Salvatore navy sweater and matching plaid skirt. 

"Pen! Hurry up in there!" She calls, knocking on the bathroom door.

"Almost done, Jojo," Penelope says.

After a few more minutes, she comes out of the bathroom, her raven locks still slightly damp.

"Hey there," She smiles.

"Hi Penny," Josie says, kissing her quickly before heading into the bathroom to get showered and dressed herself. 

Penelope sits on her bed and laces up her boots as she waits for Josie. Josie soon comes out of the bathroom and slips her shoes on as well.

"Do I get my good morning kiss now?" Penelope asks.

"Of course you do," Josie replies, kissing Penelope lovingly but quickly, "Now, let's go"

Penelope nods and reaches out a hand, which Josie takes. The pair leave the witch's room and head towards Alaric's office. Josie knocks on the door and waits for a response.

"Come in," Alaric calls.

Penelope opens the door and holds it open for her girlfriend, who kisses her check as a thanks. The pair enter the office and take a seat on the empty spot on the couch, still holding hands.

Lizzie is cuddled into Hope's side, the auburn haired girl's arm around her shoulder. Caroline and Alaric are sitting in chairs

"Good morning Josie, Penelope," Caroline greets.

"Good morning, Ms. Forbes," Penelope replies.

"Hi mom," Josie says. 

"So, shall we begin?" Alaric asks, smiling at his daughters and their girlfriends.

"Sounds good," Hope replies, kissing Lizzie's temple. 

The tribrid is so worried about loosing her girlfriend, the one person she has ever truly been in love with. 

"Alright. So, I have traveled a lot looking for a solution, but none of them worked out. I do have one lead about a witch who lives alone in the middle of nowhere in Delaware who may know something," Caroline informs them.

"So we start there?" Josie asks, gripping Penelope's hand tightly, hoping this lead will pan out.

"Yes, Josie. We start there. Time for another road trip" Alaric states. 

"Sounds good to me, but no '100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall', daddy," Lizzie agrees.

"Fine, fine, but you have no taste in music, Lizzie," Alaric jokes. 

"Now that that's all worked out, we will leave tomorrow, so after classes, pack your bags. Off to breakfast and then class, girls," Caroline orders.

The girls all nod and get up, leaving the office and heading towards the dinning hall for some breakfast, determined, but nervous about the trip that will hopefully lead to a solution to the merge.


	4. Meltdown

Lizzie knows she is on the verge of a meltdown. The stress of it all is just too much. The merge, her mother being back all of a sudden, having to work with Penelope to find a way to stop the merge, a sudden road trip, which means she will have a lot of work to catch up on. All she wants right now is to be in Hope's arms. The auburn haired girl has a calming affect on her. Taking a calming breathe, she goes off in search of Hope, expecting to find her in the library or in her room.

What she is not expecting, however, is to find Hope and Landon kissing as she turns down the hall. And just like that, she runs. She runs into the closest classroom she can find and screams. She uses her magic to throw books and paper everywhere, not caring if she destroys anything. Her screaming attracts the attention of several students, who only make things worse. She shatters the windows, not caring that the broken glass goes everywhere, several pieces landing in her arms. All she cares about is that Hope kissed Landon. Her girlfriend kisses someone else. Someone that is not her, and that is all Lizzie cares about.

******

"Josie!" MG says, rushing up to where Josie is sitting in the common room, studying.

"Hey MG. What's up?" She asks.

"Lizzie. She's freaking out, and people are staring, and it's making it worse," He explains breathlessly.

"Where?" Josie asks, instantly getting to her feet.

"Science classroom," The vampire says.

"Get my dad," Josie orders before rushing off.

She finds Lizzie smashing things with her magic, students starring and laughing at her.

"Everyone get the hell out of here. Now!" Josie orders angrily.

Everyone runs off, not wanting to mess with Josie Saltzman. Josie enters the science classroom, casting a spell around her so nothing will hit her.

"Lizzie, it's me. Can you try to breathe for me? Deep breathes, Liz," Josie urges.

"She kissed Landon," Lizzie growls, throwing more books around.

"Who kissed Landon?" Josie asks, dreading the answer.

"Hope. Hope kissed him," Lizzie says.

"Lizzie, that girl is crazy about you. You know how jerky Landon can be. There has to be a good explanation to why she kissed him," Josie says, hoping she is right.

"Lizzie!" Alaric says, rushing in.

"Daddy!" Lizzie whimpers, allowing the storm of objects to stop.

"What happened, Liz?" he sighs, running his hand through his hair.

All Lizzie can do is cry, so Josie takes her sister into her arms and holds her close.

"She saw Hope and Landon kissing," Josie explains.

"I see," Alaric says, pursing his lips.

He may be Hope's mentor, but his daughters will always come first, no matter what.

"Liz?" Hope asks, coming into the room, looking sheepish.

"Go away, Hope. I know what you did," Lizzie growls, hiding her face in Josie's shoulder.

"Baby, please let me explain. I love you. Please Lizzie," Hope begs.

"Five. You get five minutes," Lizzie sighs, untangling herself from Josie's arms.

Josie and Alaric leave to give the couple some privacy, both glaring at Hope.

"Talk," Lizzie says angrily.

"He kissed me! I pushed him away! I promise Lizzie. Here, I'll even do a truth spell so you know I'm telling the truth. Please believe me. I didn't kiss him. I love you so much. Lizzie, please don't leave me," Hope begs.

Lizzie can tell by the look in panicked Hope's blue eyes that she isn't lying. Hope continues to ramble, so to shut her up, Lizzie kisses her. Hope stands there, shocked, but quickly recovers and kisses Lizzie back. They break apart for air and rest their foreheads together.

"I believe you," Lizzie tells the tribird, who sighs in relief.

"Good. Because I love you, Lizzie Saltzman, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that," Hope tells her.

"I love you too, Hopey baby," Lizzie replies.

"Let me heal you and spell the room back to normal, and then we can go after Kirby and make sure he never kisses me again," Hope tells Lizzie.

Lizzie smirks and offers her arms to Hope, who heals each cut, kissing them afterwards. She takes Lizzie's hand in hers, and together they spell the room back to its' original state.

"There. Now let's go kick Kirby's ass," Lizzie says, smiling.

"You are way too excited about this," Hope teases.

"He kissed MY girl. He has this coming," Lizzie replies.

The pair go off to find Landon. It takes a while, but eventually they find him hanging out near the lake. Lizzie grabs Hope's hand and casts a spell which sends him flying.

"Want to tell me why you kissed my girl? You know we're together" Lizzie asks angrily.

"Uh I didn't?" Landon tries.

"I saw you, mophead," Lizzie growls, sending him flying again after he attempts to stand up.

"You're going to let her do this, Hope?" he asks.

"You had it coming. You know I'm taken," Hope replies.

"But Hope, why stay with her when you can be with me?" Landon asks.

"Because you are a jerk who kisses girls who are taken. She treats me much better than you ever had. So take a hike, Landon, and leave me and my girl alone," Hope growls before storming off, Lizzie going with her.

They head to Hope's room, where Lizzie locks the door and pins Hope onto the bed, eyes fiery.

"Mine," Lizzie growls.

"Yours. Always," Hope promises, reaching up and stroking Lizzie's check.

The pair kiss, and both know that somehow, they are going to figure out a way to stop the merge, so they can live their lives, happily together.


	5. Packing and Heading Out

"So that's wear my hoodie went," Penelope comments as she watches Josie pack an oversize hoodie into her bag.

"I didn't have the heart to throw it away when we broke up. Besides, it smells like you," Josie shrugs sadly. 

"Hey. None of that, baby. We're back together now, and I'll never ever leave you again," Penelope promises, heading over to the brunette and pulling Josie into her arms. 

"Good. Because if you leave me again, it won't just be your hair I set on fire," Josie replies, pecking Penelope's check.

"I would expect nothing less," Penelope smirks. 

"You go pack. You're distracting me," Josie tells Penelope.

"Alright, alright," Penelope smiles, leaving to go pack her own things. 

Lizzie comes into the room moments later.

"Hey Jo. I take it you're back with Penelope?" Lizzie asks her twin.

"You actually called her by her name," Josie comments, astonished.

"Don't get used to it. She's still Satan, but if you two are back together, I'll try to get along with her," Lizzie says, grabbing her suitcase and laying it flat on her bed.

"Yeah, we are. And thanks, Liz. It means a lot," Josie replies.

"Mm. She makes you so happy, and I won't stand in the way of that again," Lizzie murmurs, throwing some clothes into the suitcase. 

"She does. You feeling better after talking to Hope? I'm not above kicking her tribrid butt if she hurt you," Josie asks.

"Yes, much. He kissed her. We threatened Landon to stay the hell away from me and her," Lizzie informs the brunette. 

"Good. That was a jerk move on Landon's part. Everyone knows you two are together," Josie replies.

"She makes me happy, Jo. More than Rafael or MG ever did," Lizzie admits, folding some clothes to put in her suitcase.

"I'm glad you're happy, Liz. Hope's good for you. It took you two idiots quite some time to realize you liked each other, but you got there," Josie says.

The room falls into a comfortable silence as the girls pack their clothing and other necessities for the road trip. They finish and go off to check on their girlfriends to see if they're finished yet. Heading to Penelope's room, Josie knocks on the door. It swings open to reveal her girlfriend, who smiles lovingly at Josie. Josie's heart skips a beat, knowing that smile is reserved just for her. 

"Hi Penny," Josie greets.

"Hey baby. What are you doing here? I thought you were packing," Penelope asks. 

"I finished and decided I would come help you out. I've missed you," Josie explains, kissing Penelope's check.

"I've missed you too, Jojo," Penelope replies, smiling at the siphoner. 

Penelope continues to pack, heading to the closet to grab some clothes. Josie sits on the bed, watching the witch lovingly.

"What?" Penelope asks.

"You're so cute," Josie giggles.

"Why thank you, Jojo. You're pretty cute yourself," Penelope smiles.

She throws the pile of clothes on the bed and begins folding them. Josie grabs a shirt and begins folding as well. After all the clothes are folded, they place them in the suitcase. Penelope smirks mischievously at Josie before shutting the suitcase and placing it on the floor. Josie looks at the raven haired girl questioningly. Penelope leans over, and kisses Josie, gently pushing her so she is laying on her back. Josie tangles her hands through dark locks, smiling against Penelope's lips. After kissing for a while, Penelope rolls over and snuggles into Josie's side, her head on the siphoner's chest.

"I love you, Josie," Penelope says, cuddling further into Josie.

"I love you too, Penny. We're going to find a way to stop the merge, right?" Josie asks.

"Of course. We won't stop looking until we do. I promise," Penelope replies. 

Josie, satisfied for now, wraps her arms around Penelope, allowing herself to relax and just enjoy this peaceful time with her girlfriend before the road trip which she hopes will produce an answer for how to stop the merge. About thirty minutes later, Caroline knocks on the door. The girls sit up and look at the vampire.

"Hey girls. It's time. Grab your bags and meet me at the car," Caroline instructs.

"Okay, mom," Josie replies, kissing Penelope's head before heading to her bedroom to grab her suitcase. 

Penelope grabs her suitcase and follows Caroline to the car, where Alaric, Lizzie, and Hope are waiting. Hope and Lizzie are already in the car, hands clasped. Penelope loads her suitcase into the trunk and sits in the back row, nodding hello to Lizzie and Hope. Josie comes out soon after. She places her suitcase in the back and shuts the trunk before sitting next to Penelope, resting her head on the witch's shoulder. Caroline hops into the passenger seat and Alaric gets into the driver's seat. 

"Everybody ready?" Alaric asks.

Everyone nods, so he puts the keys in and starts the engine. The four girls and the two adults drive off, hoping that when they return to the school, they will have a way to ensure the merge does not occur.


	6. Arrival and an Important Conversation

"Are we there yet?" Lizzie asks her father, already bored out of her mind after only traveling for an hour.

"You asked me that five minutes ago, Lizzie," Alaric tells his daughter.

Lizzie groans, and rests her head on Hope's shoulder. Hope smiles at her girlfriend, kissing her head. 

"How about some music?" Caroline suggests. 

"Sounds good, Ms. Forbes," Hope agrees, taking Lizzie's hand in hers. 

Caroline turns on the radio and music soon streams through the car. Josie snuggles into Penelope's side, enjoying the music. Penelope smiles and kisses her head. Caroline smiles to herself, happy her daughters are happy. 

******

"Babe," Penelope whispers, gently shaking Josie awake. 

"No. Sleeping," Josie replies grouchily. 

"We're here. Come on. Everyone is already inside. A hotel bed is much more comfy than the car," Penelope urges. 

"Carry me," Josie requests. 

Penelope chuckles, and picks Josie up, carrying her to the hotel room they will be sharing with Hope and Lizzie. She knocks on the door with her foot. Hope opens it and steps aside to let the pair in. 

"You are so whipped for my sister," Lizzie laughs.

"Yeah, I am," Penelope agrees, smiling as Josie snuggles into her. 

Penelope lays Josie down on one of the two beds carefully. She places a loving kiss on the siphoner's head before heading to grab their bags from the car, ensuring she locks the car behind her. She puts the bags by the foot of the bed and makes sure the hotel room is locked.

"Josie. Hey. You're still in your clothes. We should change into our pajamas," Penelope urges, shaking Josie gently. 

"But I'm comfy," Josie pouts. 

"A little help here?" Penelope asks, turning towards Lizzie.

"Josette. Get up and put your pajamas on. Then you and Satan can cuddle," Lizzie tells her sister from the other bed, where she and Hope are already in their pajamas, snuggled up under the covers. 

Josie sighs, but gets up. She grabs one of Penelope's shirts and a pair of her own pajama pants as well as her toothbrush and toothpaste before heading to the bathroom to change. After changing and brushing her teeth, she comes out and gets back into the bed.

"Penny, I want cuddles," Josie exclaims.

"In a second, baby. I need to get changed and do my teeth," Penelope says, kissing Josie's head before heading to the bathroom.

She quickly changes into a oversize sleep shirt and some sweats. The witch brushes her teeth before leaving the bathroom. She gets into bed beside Josie and wraps her arms around her. Josie sighs happily and is soon fast asleep in Penelope's arms. Lizzie glances down to see if Hope's asleep, which she is. She kisses her head, causing Hope to smile in her sleep.

"Penelope?" Lizzie asks quietly, glancing over at the outline that is the witch. 

"Yeah? Are you okay? You actually called me by my actual name?" Penelope smirks.

"Yeah, yeah. Look, we need to try to get along for Josie's sake, okay?" Lizzie sighs. 

"Who are you and what happened to Lizzie" Penelope jokes.

"I'm trying to be serious, here, Penelope," Lizzie replies a bit loudly.

Josie whimpers and stirs in Penelope's arms. The raven haired girl strokes her girl's hair to soothe her, and she soon stops. 

"Okay. Yeah, we should try," Penelope agrees. 

"Good. Now, if you hurt my sister again, I swear to god I will pull a Josie and set you on fire," Lizzie threatens. 

"Got it. I won't ever hurt her again. I only did it to protect her," Penelope sighs, gazing down at the sleeping girl in her arms.

"I know. Now, we should get some sleep. It's late and we start looking for a solution tomorrow," Lizzie says. 

"Yeah, you're right. Goodnight, Lizzie," Penelope yawns, snuggling into Josie. 

"Goodnight, Penelope," Lizzie replies, also snuggling into her girlfriend. 

Soon, Penelope's soft snores fill the room. Hope, who has been awake the whole time, reaches out and takes Lizzie's hand, causing the blonde to startle a bit. 

"I'm proud of you, baby," She whispers.

"You were awake the entire time?" Lizzie asks.

"Yeah, and I couldn't be prouder, Liz," Hope replies.

Lizzie pecks Hope's lips, blushing slightly, and cuddles into Hope's side. Her head rests on the tribrid's chest, Hope's arms wrapped around her tightly. The pair soon fall asleep, a small smile across both of their faces.


	7. Morning in a Hotel Room

A knock on the door causes Hope to groan. She glances over at the alarm clock, which reads 7 am. She untangles herself from Lizzie's grasp and opens the door to reveal Caroline. 

"Good morning, Hope," Caroline greets.

"Good morning, Ms. Forbes," Hope replies. 

"I just wanted to tell y'all that we head out in an hour or so, so you may want to start getting ready," Caroline informs the tribrid.

"Okay. I'll wake everyone. Your daughters sleep like rocks though, so it may be quite difficult," Hope jokes.

"Yeah, that's accurate. We will meet you by the car. I'll leave you to get ready," Caroline says.

Caroline leaves, and Hope shuts the door. She pulls back the thin white curtains, allowing sunlight to fill the small room. The three sleeping girls groan. Lizzie and Josie continue to sleep, but the sunlight is enough to wake Penelope. 

"That was not a nice way to wake up," Penelope groans, glaring at Hope.

"Well, Caroline just ordered us up. We should wake the rocks up," Hope replies, shrugging.

"Alright, alright," Penelope chuckles, knowing Hope's description of the twins when they are sleeping is accurate. 

Hope goes over to Lizzie. The blonde has wrapped her arms around Hope's pillow in the blonde's absence. She strokes Lizzie's back softly, leaning over to kiss her head.

"Liz," she whispers.

She gets no reply. Hope tries shaking Lizzie gently, which works. Lizzie's eyes open, and she glares at Hope.

"I was sleeping," Lizzie groans.

"I know, baby, but we need to start getting ready," Hope tells her.

"Fine. I want my good morning kiss first though," Lizzie agrees.

Hope smiles and leans down to kiss Lizzie lovingly for a few seconds before pulling away. She turns to see if Penelope has succeed in waking Josie up. She finds the raven haired witch sitting on the bed, looking lovingly down at Josie, who remains asleep.

"What?" Penelope asks, turning to face Hope, "She looks to cute to wake up," 

"Let me," Lizzie smirks, getting out of bed and crossing the room. 

Lizzie straddles Josie, smirking. She tickles the brunette, who soon wakes up laughing.

"Lizzie! Stop it! I was asleep!" Josie groans, pushing Lizzie off.

"Satan was too busy staring at you to wake you up, so I took matters into my own hands, " Lizzie shrugs, getting off her sister. 

"You looked too cute to wake up," Penelope pouts.

Josie laughs, and kisses Penelope's pout away. Lizzie groans at the sight. Breaking the kiss, Penelope sticks her tongue out at Lizzie. 

"Stop sticking your tongue out at my sister and get dressed, Penny," Josie tells her girlfriend.

Penelope sighs, but grabs some clothes and heads to the bathroom. Josie picks out her outfit for the day, and follows Penelope into the bathroom.

"No sex, you two!" Lizzie calls after her. 

Hope laughs at her girlfriend, and pulls her into another kiss. Lizzie smiles against Hope's lips. They break apart at the sound of the bathroom door opening and collect their own clothes for the day. Penelope and Josie switch places with them so they can change. Josie sits on the bed and laces up her shoes while she waits for Hope and Lizzie to finish up. 

"Babe, have you seen my boots?" Penelope asks.

"Under the bed," Josie replies.

"Thanks, Jojo," Penelope smiles, pulling her boots out from under the bed. 

She sits and laces them up. Hope and Lizzie come out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for the day. They put their shoes on and grab their bags before heading to the car, where Caroline and Alaric are waiting for them. 

"Good morning, everybody," Alaric greets.

"Good morning, sir," Penelope replies.

"Everyone in. We're going to get a drive through breakfast on the way to where the person who may have a lead lives," Caroline instructs.

The girls load their bags in the back of the car and hope in. Caroline and Alaric slide into their respective seats as well. They drive off, pulling back onto the highway. This time, it takes only ten minutes for Lizzie to ask "are we there yet".


	8. The Witch in the Woods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood, sharp objects, and mild self-harm

Once they arrive, Alaric parks the car. Everyone gets out and they walk in silence for an hour, finally reaching a beat up cabin where the witch, who hopefully has the answer, lives alone. 

"Let Caroline and I do the talking. If we make ourselves out to be non-threatening, we will get further then if we go in arms blazing. That means no fire, no threats, and no brute force," Alaric says, meeting each of the girls' eyes. 

"But fire's fun," Josie pouts.

"Josette," Caroline warns. 

"Fine," Josie sighs. 

Caroline knocks on the door to the old, worn out cabin. After a few minutes, the door creaks open to reveal an elderly women with long grey hair and piercing grayish green eyes. She stares at the people gathered at her door.

"May I help you?" she asks, her voice scratchy.

"Hi. I'm Caroline Forbes. This is Alaric Saltzman, he runs the Salvatore School. These are our daughters, Josie and Lizzie, and their girlfriends, Hope Mikaelson and Penelope Park. We came because when I was in Europe, I was told that you posses a way to stop the merge of the Gemini twins. Is this true?" Caroline asks.

"I am Ester. And you two are Gemini. Twins," The witch says, turning towards Lizzie and Josie, "I posses a book that has more information on a cure. Come inside,"

Cautiously, everyone enters the small cabin. It is quite messy on the inside, cobwebs everywhere. Various books are scattered about the one room. Ester searches for several minutes before coming up with a tattered old book with a green cover. 

"Here we are. You can have this, but I want something in return," Ester tells them.

"What would you like? Money?" Alaric asks. 

"No. Blood. Her blood," Ester grins, pointing at Hope.

"Why do you want my blood?" Hope questions cautiously. 

"For a spell that will bring back my dead cat. The blood of a tribrid is the last ingredient," The old lady replies.

"Dr. Saltzman?" Hope says, turning towards Alaric.

"It's just a cat, not a person. It's fine, Hope. We need that book," Alaric tells her. 

"Anyone got a knife?" Hope asks.

Penelope reaches into her pocket and grabs her pocket knife. She hands it to Hope. 

"Here," Penelope says.

Hope opens the knife, and cuts into her wrist. Lizzie flinches at the sight and looks away. The witch holds out a bowl with a ton of other ingredients in it, and Hope allows her blood to drip into it. Lizzie grabs Hope's wrist and siphons from the tribrid. She mumbles a healing spell and the cut on Hope's wrist disappears. Lizzie kisses it before dropping it.

"The book, please," Caroline says, holding out her hands.

Ester places the book in Caroline's hands. They thank the witch for her help, and leave. Once they are a few feet away from the cabin, Penelope lets out a low whistle. 

"Crazy old cat lady," Penelope chuckles. 

"Yeah, but we got what we came here for with minimal blood loss," Josie shrugs. 

"Speak for yourself. Penelope, your knife is dull as fuck," Hope curses.

Lizzie takes Hope's hand and squeezes it, causing Hope to smile. All memories of the painful experience of cutting her wrist with a dull knife vanishes at the feeling of the blonde's fingers entangled with her own. 

"Let's go back to the car and take a look at the book," Alaric suggests.

When no one protests, he starts walking back towards where they all hop into the car. Caroline opens the book and skims the pages, desperately looking for anything that will help, even the tiniest thing. Her daughters' lives are at stake. Josie rests her head on Penelope's shoulder, causing the raven haired witch to smile. Lizzie does the same, her head resting on Hope's shoulder. 

"I found something!" Caroline exclaims suddenly, causing both twins to lift their heads off their girlfriend's shoulders.

"What is it, Ms. Forbes?" Hope asks, trying not to get her hopes up.

"There's a spell in here that will stop the merge. I believe we have most of the things needed at the school, but we need something else: a magical gemstone that was once owned by the Gemini coven," Caroline explains.

"Where is it?" Josie asks her mother.

"It doesn't say specifically, but there's a tracking spell we can use to find it. I say for now, we take a break. How does a day at the beach sound? We're near Florida," Caroline suggests.

"Yes! Let's go," Josie cheers.

"I say why not," Penelope agrees, smiling at her girlfriend.

"Hope? Liz?" Alaric asks.

"Sounds fun," Hope replies, grinning at the thought of her girlfriend in a bikini. 

"It's sunbathing time!" Lizzie smiles. 

"Alright. Let's go then," Alaric nods, starting the car.

Caroline plugs directions into the GPS, and off they go to the beach for a much needing break before they go after the gem.


	9. Beach Break

"We're here! Let's go!" Josie sequels excitedly, getting out of the car.

"I'm coming, babe," Penelope laughs, following her girlfriend to find a good spot.

"Your daughter is a child," Caroline tells Alaric jokingly.

"She's your kid too," Alaric retorts, grabbing the rest of the beach stuff.

They all head to go find Josie and Penelope, who have already set up a good spot in the sun.

"Perfect spot for sunbathing! Good job, Jo," Lizzie compliments, laying her towel out.

"Let's go to the water, Pen!" Josie says.

"Not so fast, Josie. Sunscreen," Caroline tells her daughter.

"But mom," Josie protests.

"No buts, Josette. Sunscreen," Caroline replies, holding out a bottle of sunscreen.

Josie sighs, but takes the sunscreen from the vampire. She applies it to the spots and can reach before handing it to Penelope wordlessly. The witch does Josie's back.

"There you go," Penelope smiles, kissing Josie's shoulder.

Penelope hands the bottle to Hope next, who does her and Lizzie's sunscreen. Alaric and Caroline do theirs as well. They both settle into beach chairs, not wanting to go into the water at that moment.

"Now can we go to the water?" Josie asks her mother.

"Go on," Caroline nods. 

Josie runs towards the water, Penelope following behind her, laughing at her girlfriend's adorable childlike behavior. Hope follows them as well, Lizzie deciding to stay on her towel and sunbathe. Josie enters the water first, and when Penelope follows her, she splashes the raven haired witch who retaliates with an even larger splash.

"Hope! Help me!" Josie begs. 

"You're going down, Park," Hope says, helping Josie to splash Penelope.

"Hey! No fair!," Penelope groans.

"Get her, Hope," Josie exclaims as she jumps on Penelope's back.

Hope splashes Penelope again. Penelope yelps and manages to dunk Hope under the water for a few seconds. Hope comes up gasping for air, glaring at Penelope. 

"Rude. I'm going to see if Lizzie wants to come in the water," Hope tells the girls.

Hope gets out of the water and goes back to where Alaric and Caroline are sitting in their beach chairs, Lizzie laying on her towel.

"Baby, come down to the water with me," Hope begs Lizzie.

"It's too cold," Lizzie protests.

"It's warm, I promise. Please Liz," Hope pouts.

At the sight of Hope's pout, Lizzie gets up and offers a hand to the auburn haired girl. Hope smiles and takes it, and the pair head down to the water. 

"Penny, look! Lizzie's hear now! We can play chicken fight!" Josie exclaims happily as her sister and Hope join them in the cool water. 

"I say me and Lizzie team up and take you two down," Penelope smirks.

"Let's do it, Park," Lizzie agrees, glad she decided to come join her girlfriend in the water.

Lizzie kneels and Penelope climbs onto her shoulders. Josie does the same, and Hope climbs onto hers. 

"You're going down, Jojo," Penelope smirks.

Hope and Lizzie battle it out, but neither girl manages to make the other fall off. That is, until Lizzie reaches out and tickles Hope's stomach, which makes Hope giggle and fall off of Josie into the water beneath her. Lizzie hops down and she and Penelope high five. Hope emerges from the water, auburn locks soaking wet.

"That was a dirty move, Lizzie," She tells her girlfriend.

"It worked, didn't it," Lizzie replies, smiling.

"Fine, you win," Hope says, admitting defeat. 

"Sandcastles anyone?" Penelope asks.

"Penelope, you know small children build those, right?" Hope asks.

"Hey, Lizzie and I won, so as our prize I demand we build sandcastles," Penelope retorts.

"Okay, okay. Sandcastles it is. I'll be right back with the buckets, baby," Josie agrees, leaving to go fetch the various buckets they purchased from a local shop on their way to the beach.

Josie returns moments later, and the four girls settle down to build sandcastles. Hope and Lizzie work on several smaller, circular ones, while Josie and Penelope work on a larger, triangular shaped one. Josie finds a shell and places it on top of the sizable castle. Lizzie on the other hand finds some seaweed and tiny shells and thoughtfully decorates each castle.

Josie spots a spare bucket, and glances up at her parents, who are still lounging in their beach chairs. She fills and bucket up to the top with water, and sneaks up to her mother, who has her eyes closed. She dumps the water onto Caroline, who shrieks as the cool liquid hits her skin. Josie drops the bucket and makes a run for it, laughing. 

She does not make it very far, however, before Caroline tackles her. Josie squeals as her mother tickles her. At the sound of Josie's squeals, Hope, Lizzie, and Penelope glance up. They watch, amused, as Caroline proceeds to bury the brunette siphoner in the sand, all the way up to her neck. Standing up, Caroline brushes herself off, admiring her work.

"Karma, baby girl, karma," The blonde vampire smirks.

Alaric watches from afar, trying his best not to laugh at the sight of his daughter buried in the sun kissed sand, Caroline still soaking wet from Josie's ambush. Hope, Penelope, and Lizzie are smirking at Josie. He can't help as a smile creeps across his face at the sight of everyone having some carefree fun in the sun. This was definitely a much needed break.


	10. Locating the Gemstone

After their day at the beach, they head to their hotel. Alaric has gotten two separate rooms, each with two beds. They are joined by a door so they can talk about the next steps.

"So, we will do the tracking spell and hopefully get the gem tomorrow. The four of you should be able to do it pretty easily," Alaric says.

"The spell doesn't require dark magic, does it?" Penelope asks nervously, having heard about the dark Josie incident from Hope.

"No. None at all," Alaric assures the witch.

"Alright. It should be fine. Liz, you and Jo can siphon from Penelope and I, so that will be enough magic to cast the spell," Hope adds.

"Good. Now, everyone to bed. It's been a long day. Goodnight, girls," Caroline orders.

Everyone bids each other goodnight and heads to their room. Caroline shuts the door in between the rooms to give the girls their privacy. Penelope and Josie take the bathroom first. They brush their teeth and change into their pajamas. Josie insists on stealing Penelope's favorite sleep shirt, but Penelope doesn't mind.

Once they are finished, Lizzie and Hope change and brush their teeth. Lizzie can't help but smile as Hope pulls one of the blonde's shirts over her head. It's rather long on the tribrid, reaching down to her knees, since Lizzie is much taller than Hope, but Lizzie thinks it looks adorable either way.

The four settle into bed, Lizzie wrapped up in Hope's arms, Josie in Penelope's. Hope spells the lights off and soon, Lizzie and Josie are fast asleep in their girlfriends' arms.

"Hey Hope?" Penelope asks.

"Yeah?" Hope replies.

"What do we do if the spell doesn't work? We need a cure. I can't loose Josie and I know you can't loose Lizzie," Penelope sighs, brushing brunette locks out of Josie's sleeping face.

"Then we find another way. You and I are two of the most stubborn people I know. We will find a way," Hope says determinedly.

"Okay. Goodnight, Hope," Penelope nods.

"Goodnight, Penelope," Hope yawns.

The pair cuddle into their respective girlfriends, and soon are asleep. Their dreams are both filled with the worst scenario possible, in which they can't stop the merge and one of their girlfriend is lost forever.

******

By the time the sun rises, everybody is already up and dressed for the day, ready to cast the spell. Alaric has the directions translated, and they have driven to a forest in the middle of nowhere so nobody disturbs them.

"Okay, everyone hold hands and gather in a circle around the book," Alaric states, placing the book on a tree stump.

The girls hold hands and gather around the book. Josie squeezes Penelope's hand. She can sense the witch is nervous, and knows it has something to do with the dreams that kept her tossing and turning last night. Josie and Lizzie begin to siphon magic from the other two girls, and they all begin to chant the spell.

After a few minutes of chanting, nothing has happened, and everyone is starting to loose hope, but then, the book flies open and a map appears on a blank, yellowed page. The path leads straight to the gemstone, which is somewhere near Atlanta, Georgia, not too far from where they are now.

"Good, it worked. You can stop chanting now," Alaric tells them.

They stop chanting and drop hands. Alaric goes and grabs the book and they all gather around him to inspect the map.

"Alright. It's not too far from here, coincidentally. I'm going to take that as a win," Caroline shrugs.

"We got lucky. Everyone in the car. We'll get going. I don't know what we will find, but we aren't going back to the school without that stone," Alaric says.

"We sure aren't," Hope agrees, opening the car door and sliding in.

Everyone else hops in the car, and Alaric starts the engine. He navigates using the map, which is surprisingly detailed. It only takes as few hours to reach their destination: an old cave far away from civilization. It looks as if no one has been in it in years, perhaps decades. They get out of the car and tentatively peer into the cave.

"How big is this thing?" Penelope asks.

"The gemstone, or the cave?" Josie replies.

"I don't know. Both?" Penelope shrugs.

"The cave looks pretty deep. The gem, I have no idea," Hope answers.

"Well, shall we? I hate caves, and want to get this over with," Lizzie, who has never been much for the outdoors, pouts.

"Let's go then. Don't worry, baby. I'll protect you from the spiders," Hope agrees, casting a spell so her hand is illuminated.

They head into the cave, unaware that in this cave, they will face the greatest danger of the trip, but it will also be the thing that saves the twins, in the end.


	11. Getting The Gem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group goes after the gemstone.

"It's so dark in here. I don't think just Hope's spell will be enough. Girls, can someone else light it up as well?" Alaric asks. 

"Sure, dad," Josie replies, taking Penelope's hand to siphon from her briefly.

Soon, the cave is lit up. It is much deeper than they expected, and looks to go on for miles. There is something eerily beautiful about the cave, what with it's high ceiling and moss covered walls. 

"Be careful, it's rocky in here," Caroline warns as they begin to walk deeper inside. 

Not a moment after she says that, Lizzie trips on a rock. Using her supernatural speed, Hope easily steadies her. Lizzie smiles at her girlfriend in thanks, and they continue onward in complete silence. Caroline uses her supernatural hearing to keep an ear out for the slightest noise or movement, in case they are not alone, and something lurks within the cave.

The tribrid can't help but admire the way the moss appears to grow in patches, creating a rather odd, but gorgeous affect. She traces it with her fingers, noting the soft texture. Hope, ever the artist, makes a note to paint a picture of the cave once they return to the school. 

As they continue onward, the cave grows darker and darker, and soon, even Hope and Josie's light spells aren't enough and the group finds it difficult to see. Penelope casts the spell Josie and Hope did earlier, and that helps a little, but they can still only see a few feet in front of them. Lizzie grabs Hope's non-glowing hand and squeezes it to reassure herself that Hope is still there. 

"Okay, we need to be very careful. Even with the light spell, it's rather dark in here. Watch your step," Alaric cautions. 

They do as he advises, which causes their pace to slow down to that of a snail's. Suddenly, a swarm of bats comes flying out, causing Lizzie to shriek and hide behind Hope, who chuckles.

"They's just bats, Lizzie," Penelope sighs.

"I hate bats. They're worse than spiders. Don't tease me, Satan. Josie told me all about the centipede incident," Lizzie quips.

This shuts Penelope right up. About a month or two ago, Penelope called Josie in a panic. Thinking the raven haired witch was hurt, Josie ran into the girl's dorm room, only to find Penelope standing on her bed. The threat? A single centipede, just walking across the wooden floor, minding it's own business. Josie and Lizzie, who was later informed of the incident by a still laughing Josie, still tease her about it to this day: the big bad Penelope Park, afraid of a little centipede. Penelope hates it. 

"Pay attention, girls. I don't want anyone getting hurt," Caroline scolds.

"Sorry, Mom," Lizzie apologizes.

The group continues onward until it starts to get light again. It's rather strange, as no light should be able to reach this deep into the cave. Soon, the light is bright enough so that Josie, Hope, and Penelope are able to stop the spell that was providing them all with light. 

As they continue their trek into the mysterious cave, a rock platform comes into view. On the platform rests a sea green gemstone that appears to be about the size of a person's palm. The light is hitting it just right so that parts of it appear to be darker than others. They have done it. They have found the last piece of the puzzle that they need to stop the merge and save the twins' lives. 

"There it is," Hope exclaims, amazed by it's size and beauty. 

"Yeah, there it is," Penelope replies, reaching out and squeezing her girlfriend's hand.

"I'll go grab it!" Lizzie volunteers, walking quickly towards the gem, wanting to grab it and get the hell out of this cave.

Before Caroline or Alaric can tell her to stop, that they don't know what the light surrounding it does, Lizzie has grabbed the gem in her hand. The light begins to move so that it surrounds the blonde siphoner, who looks around in confusion. Hope's heart drops into her stomach as Lizzie starts to sway, and falls to the cave floor, gem still clutched tightly in her hand. Chaos ensues as Hope rushes to Lizzie's side, kneeling beside her and placing her head into her lap. 

"Help!" Hope screams. 

Everyone watches, frozen with shock. Penelope is the first to unfreeze, and rushes to help Hope. She kneels beside Lizzie and feels for a pulse, sighing in relief when she finds one. Lizzie and her have a complicated relationship, but she is Josie's sister, and Penelope loves Josie with all of her heart, so she has come to think of the blonde as part of her family. 

"She has a pulse and is breathing. We need to get out of here and back to the car," Penelope announces the the group.

"Yeah, okay. I'll carry her," Alaric agrees, approaching the trio and scooping his daughter into his arms.

"Let's hurry back. There has to be something in that book the witch gave us that says why she passed out when she touched it," Caroline says.

The group makes their way back through the cave. It seems to take much longer this time, as they are all worried about Lizzie, who remains unconscious in her father's arms. It seems like days have passed before they finally make it out, but in reality it has only been a few hours.

Caroline opens the car, and Alaric lays Lizzie carefully on the back seat. Hope sits beside her and once again moves her head into her lap. She removes the gemstone from Lizzie's hand and sets it safely in one of the cup holders. The tribrid strokes blonde hair out of Lizzie's face, hoping that her girlfriend will open those pretty blue eyes of hers once more.

"Okay. Where's the book at?" Josie asks anxiously, glancing at her sister. 

"Here. I got it," Caroline states, grabbing the book from the trunk.

They all gather around it, and read it word for word, page by page, praying that they will find something to help Lizzie. The book's font is fairly large, so it does not take them too long to get through the entire thing. Alaric slams the cover shut, frustrated.

"Nothing. There is absolutely nothing," Alaric huffs, agitated that this book does not hold the answer on how to help his daughter. 

"We have a ton of books back at the school. They may have something. We should head back," Caroline states, placing a calming hand on Alaric's shoulder.

"Yeah, okay. Load up, you two," The man agrees.

Hope sits Lizzie up so that Penelope and Josie can slide into the backseat of the car. Caroline hops into the passenger's side, Alaric the driver's side, and they start the long drive back towards the school, Hope and Josie each clutching one of Lizzie's hands the entire way there.


	12. The Spell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lizzie is in a coma, and Hope is worried sick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw: blood and mild self harm

Once at the school, Hope carries Lizzie to the twin's room, Josie following. Penelope has decided to stay with Alaric and Caroline and start researching a way to wake Lizzie up. Josie opens the door for Hope, and they both enter the room. The auburn haired tribrid carefully lays Lizzie down on the blonde's bed, ensuring she has a pillow under her head. She glances up at the other twin, who is watching sadly.

"What if we can't find a way to wake her up?" Josie asks worriedly. 

"We will. I won't stop until we do. I'm going to go help with the research. Can you watch her for me in case she wakes up? I don't want her to wake up all alone," Hope replies.

"Of course. I got her. Go," Josie nods.

Hope places a kiss on her lover's forehead and leaves, shutting the door softly behind her. Josie is left alone with her sleeping sister. The brunette sits on the end of Lizzie's bed, and stares at Lizzie's sleeping face. She strokes blonde hair out of the girl's eyes lovingly. She loves Lizzie so much, and can't loose her. Clenching her jaw to keep from crying, Josie makes a silent promise to herself and to Lizzie that they will never stop looking for a way to wake her up. Ever. 

******

Days later, they still have not found a solution. Hope is growing increasingly frustrated. She just wants to be able to hear Lizze's voice again, to be able to hug her and hold her, but she can't. Hope groans, and slams the book she is looking at down. They are all gathered in the library, working on more research. 

"Is everything okay, Hope?" Caroline asks.

"No. My girlfriend is in a coma, and we can't figure out how to wake her up. I can't take this anymore," Hope says angrily, storming out before she looses control even more. 

Penelope frowns, and stands up. She heads after the auburn haired girl. She finds Hope near the lake, crying silently. Sitting beside her, she wraps an arm around her shoulder. Hope lets her friend hold her, wiping away her tears.

"We are going to get her back, Hope," Penelope tells her friend.

Hope nods miserably. The pair sit in content silence for about half an hour. Suddenly, Josie is running towards them, her brown eyes full of excitement. She nearly slips off the deck, but Penelope grabs her and steadies her just in time.

"Easy there, Jojo. What's going on?" Penelope laughs.

"We found it. We found the answer," Josie gasps, out of breathe. 

Hope hops up, and rushes back inside, Josie and Penelope following her. They find Alaric and Caroline gazing at a weathered old book, studying it carefully.

"What is it? What do we need to do?" Hope asks.

"The light was a protective measure for the stone. The stone was created by a member of the Gemini coven when he discovered the merge. It was created by him in case he had twins, which he never did. He wrote the spell that stops the merge in the book, and hid that and the gemstone in different places. The light makes the person who touches it pass out if they are a Gemini twin to ensure that the gem is actually used to stop the merge, not sold or something like that. You can only see the stone if a member of the coven is with you, so that's why we could see it. So, in short, we need to cast the spell that will stop the merge in order for Lizzie to wake up," Alaric explains.

"Okay. What are we waiting for them? We need to get the ingredients for the spell," Hope says.

"Agreed. We have most of them already here in the school. We just need some blood from Josie and Lizzie, and we will be good to go," Caroline agrees.

"Sounds like a plan. Give Penelope and I the list, and we can go grab them. We will meet you in me and Liz's room," Josie replies.

Having a plan, Alaric hands the pair the list. The three remaining people head to the twin's room, where Lizzie is still in a coma on her bed. Hope sits beside her and takes her hand, smiling at her girlfriend.

"We did it, babe. We found the answer," Hope smiles.

Caroline and Alaric watch the interaction with smiles on their faces. While they hate that they will need their daughters' blood, but are happy that they have found the solution. Josie and Penelope enter with the ingredients, and they mix them together in a stone bowl. Penelope winces as Josie cuts her wrist with a knife and allows her blood to drip into the bowl. The witch takes Josie's arm and casts a spell to heal her. 

"Who's going to do Lizzie's arm?" Hope asks, not wanting to cut into her girlfriend's arm.

"I will," Alaric volunteers.

Grimacing, he cuts into Lizzie's arm with the second knife and allows the bowl to catch her blood. Hope heals the blonde's wrist, and her, Josie, and Penelope join hands, bowl in the middle of them on the floor. Josie makes sure to grab Lizzie's hand with her free one as well, as it states in the book that the Gemini twins must be touching each other.

"Okay. Can you all see the spell if I hold it up here?" Caroline asks, holding the book up.

"Yes," Penelope says, the other two girls nodding.

The girls begin to chant, and wind surrounds the four. They do this for several minutes. Light comes out of Josie and Lizzie where their hearts are. Caroline and Alaric watch in amazement as the streams of light join and swirl together, before separating and going back into the girls. Josie gasps as the light enters her, and collapses.


End file.
